Christmas is a time for relaxing, having fun and spending time with family and friends.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It can be difficult to find the motivation for study when everyone around you is having so much fun. So, here are my top five tips for revising effectively over the Christmas break.

    Set aside a few hours a day to revise.

    Find the best time to revise and make sure that you stick to your timetable! For example, I find that I work best in the morning.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Plan something fun to do every day.

    Even if it's just going for coffee with a friend or watching a film at home, this will give you something to look forward to and motivate you to finish your revision.

    Explain to your family why your revision is important.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}So, make efforts to tell them why your exams are important. Perhaps you can agree to do something nice with them when your exams are over.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It is important to take some time to relax. When you do get back to revising, you'll probably find it easier to concentrate. Pick the most important days for you and your family to concentrate on celebrating Christmas!

    Remember that it won't last forever.

    You might have to spend your Christmas revising this year, and perhaps for a few more years, but soon enough you'll be free of exams forever.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Have a great Christmas and make sure you find a balance between studying and celebrating. Good luck in your exams!

A. Spare your time for your family.

B. Make sure that you take a few days off!

C. So I get up fairly early and do a few hours of revision.

D. Sometimes it can be difficult for family to understand you.

E. However, for many of us, it is also time to prepare for January exams.

F. Otherwise, you may probably fall into trouble with your friends and family.

G. And after spending time revising, your future Christmases will seem even better!

    There is no way to make somebody stop smoking,and just like with users of any drug,it is very unlikely a person will stop unless he or she wants to.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Step One: Make Observations

    Smoking use can affect memory and make it difficult for people to do well at work or school.Other bad effects that you may notice include:{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Is she getting sick more often than she used to?

    Write down your concerns using “I” statements,such as “I feel sad that when you smoke you give up your artwork.”{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Step Two: Approach the Person

    Bring up your concerns to your friend at a relaxing time.Express your concerns using the statements you wrote down.Tell him you will be there to support him if and when she decides to give up smoking.He will likely give you one of three responses:

    He wants to quit.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    He wants to stop,but not yet.

    You must be willing to calmly accept any of these responses.If he says he does want to stop,go on with the next step.If not,they will have to be visited later when he is ready.

    Step Three: Prevent Him Giving Up Halfway

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}However,symptoms only appear after some time of quitting smoke.This causes some who are addicted to believe that they are not actually addicted and to start using again.

A. He doesn't want to quit.

B. Does this person appear more nervous?

C. Are you lazy because you smoke too much?

D. It's best to approach the person in this manner.

E. People can become physically dependent on smoking.

F. The drug can stay in the system for a long period of time.

G. But there are steps you can take to support a friend or family member.

The coffee story

    Kaldi was tired but he couldn't sleep. His goats were awake and very noisy. "Why can't they sleep?" Kaldi thought. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They were eating some green plants with little red fruits on them. Kaldi decided to taste the fruits. He ate the soft part of each fruit and the hard things in the centre. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He was not tired. He felt more awake and did not want to sleep.

    Those hard things were coffee beans, and Kaldi discovered them in Ethiopia more than 1,000 years ago. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Perhaps it is true, perhaps not. Nobody knows. But we know that coffee grew first in Ethiopia, and we know that somebody discovered it there more than 1,000 years ago.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Arab farmers began to grow coffee plants. People learnt to make a drink from the beans, and they called it qahwa.

For 400 years, only the Arabs knew about qahwa. Then people in Turkey learnt about it. Soon after that, western Europeans began to drink it, and in 1652 the first coffee shop in London opened.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Some famous coffee-growing countries are Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and, of course, Ethiopia Coffee is one of the world's favourite drinks thanks to Kaldi and his goats.

A. At least that's the traditional story.

B. After a minute he began to feel different.

C. Many Arab farmers grew coffee to make money.

D. Now farmers grow coffee in many parts of the world.

E. Coffee was such an important drink during that time period.

F. He couldn't understand the problem so he watched the animals carefully.

G. After that, Arab travelers took coffee plants to Egypt and other Arab countries.

    Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving them is a normal part of life.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are some ways to love your parents.

    Tell them you love them every morning. A gentle "good morning" and "I love you" will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Respect them more and value the moments with them. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}After this, share your feelings with your parents.

    Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem as if you are going through hell when you don't get what you want.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes. Forgiveness is the key. Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can.

A. Keep them company.

B. Parents will in turn express their love to you.

C. You love them because they created you and raised you.

D. Act calmly, write down your feelings, or talk with your friends.

E. Please remember parents are the dearest people for us in the world.

F. However, you should remember it is your parents who love you and protect you.

G. Without your parents, we might still wander at an unknown comer in an unknown world.

What I've been wondering is: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}And if so, how? Here are three ideas to do just that.

Read books and watch movies that transport you

One of my favorite things to do before taking a trip is to search out books and movies that can help me get a feel for a place. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Search out famous—or not-so-famous—books or films from the part of the world you want to visit. Then get lost in these during your staycation week.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Music is deeply connected to our emotions, which makes it particularly transporting. The beautiful sounds of Sigur Rós, for example, can create a dreamy atmosphere. Hawaiian ukulele and hula music bring the beach to your living room. Try searching for artists or genres of music from your desired destination and build a playlist to help you set the atmosphere.

Visit a museum — virtually

Museums in many locations have started to reopen with social distancing and masks, but if you're not ready to go in person, you can spend an afternoon exploring them online. Google map has digitized hundreds of collections and online tours at museums around the world. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Tour a national park

Camping is one type of vacation that's mostly safe and accessible to do right now. But if you can't get to the great outdoors, bring the outdoors to your home.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Explore a Hawaiian volcano, dive a Florida beach or ride horseback through the red rocks of Bryce Canyon.

If you don't have the budget or time to travel right now, try layering a few of these ideas together to create a kind of at-home immersion(沉浸感).

A. Listen to related music.

B. Is it necessary to go out for an adventure?

C. You can choose a national park for camping.

D. Find one near your destination using this map.

E. But you can still do this even if you're staying at home.

F. Is it possible to have an adventure without leaving home?

G. You can do that with an online tour in America's national parks.

Is your glass of milk half-full or half-empty? This saying is often used to test people's outlook in a situation; do they focus on the positives (a half-full glass) or the negatives (a half-empty one)? Thinking positively, with a belief that most things will turn out fine, is called optimism and it's known to boost your well-being. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Why is thinking positively good for you?

Research shows that people who are optimistic and think positively tend to experience less stress and cope well when faced with life's challenges. People who are more pessimistic (expect that the worst will happen) may find it hard to believe that these challenges will pass. Scientists have even found that thinking positively can make you live longer. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This is because you believe your goals are achievable and within reach, which encourages you to work towards them.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Everybody can worry from time to time. Worrying can help to keep you safe. If you were never worried and were greatly positive about how things would turnout, you wouldn't recognize risks. "Worrying is our brain warning us that there might be something threatening, which functions as a fire alarm." says child psychotherapist (心理治疗师) Rachel. "The trouble is that sometimes it goes off when there isn't a huge danger to face." {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

You should learn to think positively.

Optimism is shaped by your genes, which carry characteristics obtained from your parents, and by what happens to you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Research has shown that it can help to draw or write an outcome that's positive, like an image of you playing guitar and having passed your next grade. Imagining this can motivate you to work to achieve it, such as practising everyday afterschool.

A. Worrying is like a fire alarm.

B. Avoid worrying is beneficial to our health.

C. Asking others for help positively makes sense.

D. The good news is that everybody can learn to think more positively.

E. When this happens, you can feel anxious and hopeless about what lies ahead.

F. However, whatever your starting point is, you can learn to be more optimistic.

G. Being positive about the future goals can make you happier and more successful.